World Cup 2026: Mbappé brace fires France past Sweden into round of 16

France powered past Sweden with a 3-0 win in the World Cup round of 32 on Tuesday night, advancing to the round of 16. Kylian Mbappé was the star, scoring twice, while Michael Olise provided two assists. The match, played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, attracted 80,663 fans.

Mbappé opened the scoring just before halftime, finishing a well-worked move. Earlier, France had hit the woodwork twice. In the second half, Olise set up Bradley Barcola for the second goal on 53 minutes, then delivered another precise pass for Mbappé to curl in the third on 74 minutes.

With his brace, Mbappé now has six goals in the tournament, tying Lionel Messi in the golden boot race. His overall World Cup tally reaches 18, just one shy of Messi's all-time record of 19. Mbappé celebrated his first goal by embracing coach Didier Deschamps, who had missed France's previous group match to attend his mother's funeral. Deschamps, who will step down after the tournament, led France to World Cup victory in 2018 and was captain of the 1998 champions.

France will face Paraguay in the round of 16 on Saturday in Philadelphia. Sweden, who qualified via the play-offs, struggled to create chances despite having Premier League talents like Viktor Gyokeres and Alexander Isak, and their tournament ends after this defeat.